Part 3 | Wheel Build 36 Spoke Truing a Wheel

....without a truing stand.
We wanted everybody to be able to build a wheel without buying an expensive truing stand, so just use the front fork. This video shows the process of truing.
First: Slightly lube each nipple, NICE! Second: If you have a truing stand then use it now, if not, flip your bike upside down and use the front fork as an improvised truing stand. It will do the job adequately, but if you want the wheel to be precise and perfect you probably want to use a truing stand. TRUING THE WHEEL Use the valve stem hole as a reference and tighten each spoke gradually until about three threads are showing on each spoke. After the first stage of tightening spin the wheel and take a look to see how the wheel spins. Most likely the wheel will be out of whack. Proceed to gradually tension the spokes one after another until the spokes begin to take on a descent amount of tension. The process is very systematic, try to get in zone and use it as a meditation exercise. Wheel truing takes time to master so do not get frustrated, just take it slow and steady. This is a where spoke tension meter could come in handy if you do not have a good feel for how much tension the spokes should have. If you are unsure check an already built wheel to compare the tension of its spokes to the new wheel's spokes. Third: After you have tensioned the spokes, check for errors in the wheel. If you are using a fork as a truing stand, use the brake pad as a reference and watch the edge of the rim to see where its out of true. Do things in very small increments! Use patience young Jedi.